


Soldier's Art

by laissemoidanser



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Christmas Eve, M/M, Reaper76 - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-31
Updated: 2018-12-31
Packaged: 2019-10-01 08:43:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17241113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laissemoidanser/pseuds/laissemoidanser
Summary: Jack doesn’t celebrate Christmas. At least that’s what he’s been telling himself over the past few years, after the disbanding of Overwatch. But this time is different - it all starts with a miracle and a present Jack never thought he would receive again.





	Soldier's Art

**Author's Note:**

> So, it's Holiday Season, exactly one year since I discovered Overwatch, and I felt like writing this little story about my two favorite ovw men again

 

*******

 

Jack doesn’t celebrate Christmas.

At least that’s what he’s been telling himself over the past few years.

And he could always find a new good reason not to:

Too busy for that shit.

Too weary for that shit.

Don’t care for that shit.

Too lonely…

That last one remains the most intricate issue and he tries not to dwell on it much. There’s always a bottle of whiskey to keep him company after all. Most of the time – it is enough. Enough not to ponder too deeply. 

Jack has pretty much forgotten _how_ to celebrate.

That’s why he feels awkward now: sitting on an old ratty sofa next to a tiny Christmas tree he’s just finished decorating all by himself. The tinsel is sparkling in the light of the fire from the furnace, bright multicolored beads of garland are winking joyfully; reflecting against Jack’s roughened features. Strange as it is to admit - the place seems cozy. And ‘cozy’ is a word long gone from Jack’s vocabulary.

He tries to remember why he even considered putting the damn tree up in the first place.

There _is_ an obvious reason but Jack prefers to stay intentionally oblivious to it for now.

He was cold, okay? He broke into someone’s house, discovered that its owner is gone on a vacation somewhere and he figured he could linger a while. The place seemed safe enough and secluded from the rest of the world. 

He was cold. So he decided to fire up the furnace. And, while looking for some logs he stumbled upon a box with a Christmas tree inside of it. He took it out and… it smelled really nice. It smelled like the old days, like those times when he was a better person, the times when he had friends to celebrate with, when he had so many dreams and so much hope in his heart…It made him feel nostalgic. That’s it. _Nothing more_. He figured that after all the shitty years he earned himself a little break, a little _weakness_.

When the lights on the garland switch softly from green to red - there’s a knock on the door. Just as soft and gentle. It startles Jack a little nevertheless. He puts on his visor, reaches for his pulse rifle and grips it tightly. These days he doesn’t risk taking a step outside without it.

His shoulders tense, his step light and his mind focused solely on all the best angles to attack and the best ways to retreat in case there will be such a need – Jack walks up to the door and opens it. Merry light spills outside, into the cold and gloomy yard. Jack’s shadow is huge and impending against the cool shades of the evening. In his shadow Reaper is standing. Light catches on his shoulders, broadening his dark frame, flaming up the steel pieces of his armor. Jack’s shoulders sag, the grip on his rifle loosens. He steps aside and Reaper walks past him while Jack is scanning the area outside through his visor. Once he makes sure the coast is clear, he closes the door and locks it securely.

“The place’s not bad,” Reaper announces, his heavy boots clicking against the wooden floor and the leather of his cloak creaking with his every motion.

“Anyone followed you here?” Jack asks.

Reaper turns to face him, crosses his arms over his chest and scoffs through his mask.

“Do you take me for an idiot?” he asks.

Jack is silent as he turns to the window and scans the area once more. Then he draws the curtain down and steps away.

“I just need to be sure,” he says. 

“You’re _paranoid_ ”

Jack curls the fingers of his free hand into a fist and for a moment they’re just standing there, glaring at each other.

“Maybe,” Jack admits at last and lets out a long jaded sigh.

He reaches for his face then, cups his visor and it comes off in a moment with a soft peculiar ‘ _swoosh’_. He chances a brief glance at Reaper, still motionless in front of him, then looks away to put his rifle and his visor aside on the old crooked table.

“It’s been too long,” Jack says, not sure exactly what he means by these words.

He rubs his face – a gesture full of weariness, not a hint of pretense this time. He shuffles past Reaper, towards the furnace and stops before it, one hand outstretched towards the fire.

“You prettied up the place?” Reaper asks and his voice sounds softer this time. Almost recognizable. It makes Jack smile and he bites the inside of his cheek to conceal it as best he can.

“Are you cold?” he asks instead.

“What?” the question follows pierced with sincere wonder.

“It’s freezing outside. Are you cold?” Jack asks again, raising his eyes to Reaper. His gaze is gentle, like a serene sea, warm sparks are twinkling in it.

“I…well…”

“Wanna have a drink?”

“Okay. But let’s not get drunk. I don’t like that new habit of yours.”

Wordlessly, Jack heads into the kitchen.

He needs a moment to regain himself. Seeing Gabriel turns out to be a bit too much for him. He is thinking about the last time they met like this as he fishes a bottle of eggnog and pours one glass for himself and one for his guest. They probably shouldn’t be doing it. These secret get-togethers. It’s too risky and if Gabriel blows his cover Jack would never forgive himself. But it’s really hard to stop when the old tingling feeling is still so strong.  Jack’s heart is thrashing violently in his chest. He looks back over his shoulder and takes a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm down.

When he returns he discovers Reaper sitting on the sofa, right in the same spot where he has just been sitting. Jack hands him a glass.

“Thanks,” Reaper says, accepting it with a gentle clink of his gauntleted fingers.

“Your mask,” Jack notes, pointing at the bony guise Reaper is still wearing.

“Oh. I forgot.”

He didn’t. It’s a lie and Jack knows it.

Gabriel hesitates. He puts his glass on the table and Jack does the same, waiting patiently for him to gather up courage. It takes time. For a moment it seems as if Gabriel is waiting for Jack to step back and just let him be but at last he sighs, giving up. He takes the mask off painfully slowly, grimacing in disgust. His skin is revealed – ashy and bruised and sickly. He stares down at the mask as if hoping he could just put it back on again and conceal his once handsome face.

“Are you okay?” Jack asks him and the question earns him a fiery crimson glare.

“Do I look okay to you?” Gabriel barks out, his voice strained and full of sudden hatred.

“Gabriel…,” Jack says softly, and he can’t help but reach out and cup Gabriel’s cheek.

Gabriel startles visibly at the sudden contact but in a heartbeat his glare softens and he looks down again when Jack’s calloused thumb traces the prominent line of his cheekbone. A gesture barely tangible but it makes his breathing hitch, come out all wheezy and broken.

“Gabe,” Jack all but whispers and Gabriel looks up at him again, his gaze so utterly open and desperate.

Jack falls right into its trap, leaning down and touching Gabriel’s lips with his own. He misses a little, kisses his face instead, cupping it with both his hands. Almost immediately he realizes that he might have breached some unspoken personal boundaries and attempts to pull away. Too overwhelmed. But Gabriel is reaching up, up to him again, catching his lips with his own, his clawed gauntleted hands come resting awkwardly on Jack’s shoulders, pulling him down. Jack leans back in, responding, and, despite how awkward and sloppy they are, it feels _amazing_.

“That is enough. That is enough,” Gabriel is telling him after a prolonged moment, pressing a palm against his chest and pushing him away.

Jack lands on the sofa by his side, his cheeks flushed and his eyes gleaming. Although he hasn’t even touched alcohol yet he hasn’t felt _so drunk_ in a while. His ears are ringing quite literally and when the noise subsides he becomes aware of Gabriel’s breathing – heavy and ragged. He can practically hear how it starts deep in his lungs and he can see it coming out mixed with black whiffs of smoke.

“I’m not okay,” Gabriel breathes out. “And I definitely don’t want to talk about it today.”

Jack swallows a lump in his throat. Then nods.

“What do you want to talk about?” he asks.

They’ve already agreed not to bring up their ‘mission’ and their ‘fight for retribution’. Not _today_. And Jack is used to Gabriel being reticent about his physical condition. For obvious reasons. He’s always been like that.

“Do we need to, Jack?” the question follows. “I think we don’t.”

Jack nods again and stays silent, eyes glued to his partner. He’s not aware of how bluntly he’s staring. He could agree to anything, really, at this point. His chest is swelling with a peculiar warm and fuzzy feeling and he’s pretty sure he can name it. He wouldn’t though. Because he doesn’t have to anymore. Because this moment, _today,_ is too important and because he hasn’t _felt_ since the last time they met which was more than half a year ago.

At this point he could agree to anything.

They could exchange memories about their past – they could go years and years back and laugh at how young and stupid and head over heels they were or they could bring up their favorite memory about Jesse McCree trying to escape the headquarters at night and failing at it because Jack spotted him from across the building - hanging on a piece of polyethylene from a newly renovated roof. They could talk about their first date and the most awkward of flirtations. Or they could just stay silent.

Just _them_.

And it’s everything that really matters. Jack regrets to realize it so late in his life. He knows - Gabriel is different and Gabriel realized it long time ago. Maybe, if Jack were a bit less preoccupied with his own visions and hopes….

He has regrets. And they are many. They rise up in his heart together with his tender feeling for Gabriel, poisoning it, making it bittersweet.

“How about we have that drink instead? I think I’m going to need it after all.”

Gabriel’s voice brings Jack back to reality and he realizes that he’s been _staring mindlessly,_ head propped on a hand.

He stirs, clears his throat and reaches for his glass together with Gabriel.

“I hope you’re not going to poison me,” Gabriel wonders and Jack catches up on the joke a bit too late. He smiles crookedly, glass pressed to his lips.

“You know it ain’t my style,” he replies. “Unless the owner of this house took care of the drink - we’re safe. Or we both die.”

“I could live with that,” Gabriel says with a subtle smile, still so charming, and downs his glass. Jack mirrors him.

The drink stings and warms him up from the inside in a pleasant way. Not in the way Gabriel does though. But that tingling feeling in his chest intensifies, blooms anew. Gabriel is returning his stare now, one arm thrown casually over the back of the sofa, closer to Jack. The Christmas tree is sparkling cheerfully behind Gabriel; fires from the furnace are dancing in his crimson eyes. Jack’s cheeks flush some more.

“I got you something,” Gabriel says suddenly.

“What?”

Jack raises his eyebrows, not quite sure if he’s heard correctly.

Gabriel sighs, smiles and shakes his head.

“I got you a present.”

“Why?” Jack asks stubbornly.

“Because it’s Christmas, you idiot. Or have you forgotten?”

“I haven’t fucking forgotten. Alright? It’s just…you don’t show up at my door that often. Offering presents now…cut me some goddamn slack…I’m…not a young man anymore.”

“It is not _your_ door…” Gabriel mutters but there’s that charming smile still lingering on his face and it makes Jack’s heart warm, _so damn warm._

“So what is it?”

Gabriel narrows his eyes at him, as if pondering for a moment. So dramatic, so smug, he’s still _in character._ Jack would _love_ to strip him from that – piece by piece. If only for tonight.

Slowly, Gabriel takes off the gauntlet of his right hand, making a show of it, and reaches into the inside pocket of his coat. His eyes stay fixed on Jack when he produces a rectangular gift box in a tasteful, colorful wrapping tied up by a baby blue ribbon. Jack’s face lits up at the sight and it makes Gabriel chuckle self-contentedly.

He hands the present to Jack and Jack accepts it almost reverently, their hands brushing, touch lingering intentionally, sparkling them up like flames, charging the room with vibrant electricity from the sheer pull they feel towards each other. Jack touches the ribbon, caresses it with the tips of his fingers as if it’s the most treasured thing in the world.

“To match your eyes,” Gabriel says. Dealing that last blow.

Jack glances up and the way Gabriel is looking at him makes him melt against the sofa. Makes him soft and pliant like a piece of clay. And, really, Gabriel could make anything out of him. Anything he wants - with those hands of his.

“Thank you, Gabe,” he mutters under his breath.

“Go on, open it,” Gabriel says, urging him. Impatient to see Jack’s reaction.

Jack unwraps his present, careful not to damage the ribbon and not to break the beautiful wrapping too much. He can see that Gabriel has put his heart and soul into it. Inside he discovers-

_A sweater._

It’s color green with little reindeers knitted in peculiar seams across the chest, each of them wearing a Christmas cap. The sweater is soft, obviously handmade. Jack takes a hold of it, to feel it better with his palms and thumbs.

“You made it yourself?!”

“I sure did,” Gabriel confirms proudly and then adds in a softer tone,   

“Thought you might be getting cold out there all by yourself. Thought this might help you stay warm”

Jack holds his breath for a moment and, in a spur of feeling, he rises up on his knees and removes his jacket. He tosses it aside negligently, takes the sweater Gabriel gave him, Gabriel _made for him._ And starts pulling it on over his head. He slows down halfway though, sensing warm hands on his hips, caressing him tentatively. One still gauntleted and the other – bare. He pulls the sweater down a bit more, so that he could see, and holds it over his chest, watching those hands on him.

“Sorry,” Gabriel says, removing one hand while the other still lingers. “Couldn’t help it.”

“It’s okay,” Jack reassures him. “Please. You can touch.”

The hands are back on him, exploring his lower body in circular motions, fingers roaming over the muscles - prominent under Jack’s black undershirt.  

Jack can’t help the soft moan that escapes his lips. Gabriel’s hands don’t travel lower but Jack is sure Gabriel’s aware of what he’d discover there. _So ready for him._

“I miss you, Jackie,” Gabriel says breathlessly. “I want you to wear that and miss me too. Will you do this?”

Jack leans down to him once again, allowing Gabriel’s hands to slide around his back until he’s enfolded in his embrace.

“I will. I miss you too, Gabe. Every day, all the time. This sweater is beautiful and you’re so talented with your hands.”

“You think so?”

“Of course I do. And I’ve always told you so.”

Gabriel pulls him closer and they kiss. A simmering, passionate kiss, but this time they’re more in control, more present in it, sliding sweetly into a pleasant unhurried rhythm of it, slipping into a lower kind of burning desire. A kiss full of promises - magic as Christmas Eve.  

Jack’s head is spinning as he lets Gabriel in deeper – it’s been too long.

_It’s been too long._

Too long without those arms wrapped around him. Too long without those lips burning him like fire. He breaks it just to press his lips to Gabriel’s jaw, to trail a path of feathery kisses there, up to his earlobe and down to his neck. He pauses in the crook of it to inhale Gabriel, to etch the scent of him into his memory where he will hold it during all the days and nights he’s yet to spend in grave solitude. He nips at the sensitive skin of Gabriel’s neck and draws a moan from him just to make sure that he still _can,_ before pressing another kiss to his ear and whispering hotly,

“Got something for you too”

He’s surprised and deeply pleased to see color rise in Gabriel’s cheeks. He can practically see dirty thoughts swirling in Gabriel’s mind and he smiles at the effect his words have on him. At the way he makes him feel. Even now. Even after all the years and all the shit they had to go through. He and he alone can make Gabriel’s mask slip to reveal that he is still – _his_.

Reluctantly, Jack pulls away from Gabriel and there’s a quizzical little smirk tugging at the corner of his lips when he gets up, his blue eyes dreamy and mischievous. He walks up to a cabinet and reaches for Gabriel’s present which is sitting there on the edge of it, under a pile of papers – so inconspicuous. Jack didn’t think he would be gifting it after all. Didn’t think he would find any use for it when he walked into a store the day before. So he put it aside and practically forgot about it - too certain that he would have to throw it away anyway. Too certain no one would come to him tonight. 

He brushes the papers aside and grabs the present, his cheeks still burning slightly and his lips still keep the memory of Gabriel’s kisses. That man sitting there on the sofa probably knows perfectly well what he’s doing to him.

When he hands Gabriel the present he can see his eyes grow wide, then narrow again into that skeptical squint he’s got used to wear.

“A box of chocolate?” he asks, raising one brow.

“A box of _your favorite_ chocolate,” Jack corrects him.

“No way! They don’t even make those anymore. Did you check the expiry date? When were they manufactured? Back in 2019?”

“They still make these here. They are fresh. I checked, don’t worry. Ain’t no way I’m fucking with you.”

 Hesitantly, Gabriel reaches out and accepts the box into his gauntleted hand. He steals another glance at Jack before pointedly turning the box over and checking the date.

Jack huffs a laugh.

“Really?”

There’s a barely distinguishable smirk on Gabriel’s face.

“I’m just fucking with you,” he says slyly. Then turns the box over again, places his bare blackened hand over its surface and, slowly, he tears the transparent wrapping off, taking his time. He gasps quietly at the sight of his favorite sweets, places the box on his knees reverently and pulls another gauntlet off.  

Jack watches him with great interest as he takes one chocolate candy and puts it in his mouth. Gabriel closes his eyes in pure ecstasy and lets out a moan that leaves Jack ashamedly aroused.

“I don’t know where you managed to find them but they are legit”

“Well, now that they’re approved by the expert. I’m flattered.”

“Hmm”

Jack eases himself back onto the sofa and slides closer to Gabriel who’s already finishing up his fourth candy.

“You really gonna eat them all in one sitting?” Jack wonders.

Gabriel pauses with his mouth full of candy and checks the now half-empty box. He shrugs and licks the tip of his forefinger smeared in chocolate.

“Had no idea how much I needed these,” Gabriel says, his finger still in his mouth. He turns his eyes to Jack, ponders for a moment before asking,

“You want some?”

Jack breaks into a throaty chuckle.

“Oh, is this really happening? Gabriel Reyes shares his chocolate!”

“I do,” Gabriel replies and they are gazing softly at each other while the fire is crackling quietly in the furnace.

“No, thank you,” Jack says. “But since you’re so generous today...”

He places his hand on Gabriel’s thigh and squeezes lightly in a blatant invitation. 

Gabriel considers his hand for a moment.

“I guess… I could leave some of that chocolate for later,” he says and puts the box aside before turning his attention to Jack entirely. He reaches out to him and caresses his stubbled cheek. He then leans closer, nuzzles Jack’s jaw and whispers breathlessly,

“Do you still love me, Jackie?”

The question almost hurts Jack. Almost.

He realizes it’s been a while and he knows that Gabriel is that kind of person who needs constant validation.

He’s said it thousands of times before.

He sighs and inclines his head into Gabriel’s warm touch.

“I could never unlove you, Gabe”

He can feel Gabriel’s hot breath against his skin as he laughs.

“Even _now_?” he asks and his voice trembles a little at the last word. Trembles on the edge of the bitter hatred for himself.

" _Now_ \- more than ever,” Jack simply says without a hint of hesitation and it seems to satisfy Gabe.

He hums approvingly against Jack’s skin and Jack can feel him smile before planting a wet kiss to his neck and biting him gently. It feels so damn good Jack closes his eyes and lets out a shaky sigh. Gabriel’s hand returns to his cheek, except this time his fingers slide boldly right to his lips. Jack parts them welcomingly and Gabriel pushes the tip of his thumb into his mouth.

Deep arousal stings Jack all over.

“I suppose I could suck you off. You want that? I’m not sure I can promise much more”

Jack hums in agreement, nods a little and sucks at Gabriel’s thumb earnestly before pulling it out and guiding Gabriel’s hand between his legs, pressing it against the hardness there.

“I would _love_ that,” he says breathlessly, his thighs jerking at the pleasure that Gabriel’s touch elicits.

Gabriel leaves a trail of kisses along his jawline until he gets back to Jack’s lips, savoring the moment. Jack can still taste chocolate on him. He moves his hand away but Gabriel’s still lingers, stroking him slowly through the fabric of his pants.

“You look so delicious in this sweater I could eat you, Jackie,” Gabriel cooes, fumbling for Jack’s fly. “You’re the only sweet thing I love more than chocolate.”

Jack feels lightheaded and out of breath. He places his hands on Gabriel’s shoulders and pushes a little.

“Just take it slow, okay?” he warns. “It’s been…years.”

“Years?” Gabriel wonders beguilingly, narrowing his eyes at him. “You haven’t had sex _in years_?”

“And why are _you_ so surprised?”

“I am not. I just thought that a nice-looking guy like yourself could easily get laid if he needed to”

“Come on! You know I’m not that kind of person.”

“Yeah, you’d rather starve yourself than let go a bit”

 “Stop it. There’s only one man I actually _want_ to get laid with.”

“And who might that be?”

Gabriel smiles at him with that mind-blowingly hot smile that has always left Jack flustered, bewitched.

“ _You_ , stupid. And I ain’t starving myself. Can always think of you when the need comes.”

Jack gasps when Gabriel’s hand slips inside his pants and under the band of his underwear, when Gabriel’s expert fingers wrap around his hardening dick. Too lost in conversation, he didn’t notice when Gabriel managed to get his fly open.

“How do you think of me?” Gabriel asks, working him slowly. Jack lets out a long moan and throws his head back before looking at Gabriel again.

“On your hands and knees. Then…, then on your back too.”

“Mmmm,” Gabriel’s eyes sparkle up brighter than the fire. “That’s a nice image to jerk off too, right?”

 “Yeah,” Jack says. “But the real you are so much better.”

That earns him a kiss, blissfully sensual and needy. Jack lets himself get lost in it completely, dissolve in it until Gabriel breaks it gently and sits up, sliding back a little. He withdraws his hand and replaces it with his body, with his ass clad in tight pants. Jack bites down on his lower lip hard and stifles a lewd moan when Gabriel starts rocking his hips, rubbing his ass against his hard dick. He places both his hands on Jack’s chest for support, eyes trained on Jack, a smirk still playing on his lips. In less than a minute Jack feels like he’s dangerously close, the sight of Gabriel alone does it for him easily enough. He reaches to grab Gabriel’s thighs but his lover shifts farther back, away from him. Gabriel then starts pulling Jack’s pants down his legs until he’s left naked from the waist down.

By then Jack is so hard against the heated air of the room it almost hurts. He can’t help but reach down and give himself several languid strokes while watching Gabriel climb back up his body, deliberately licking his lips.

“Impatient, are we?” he says with a click of his tongue, swatting Jack’s hand away.

Jack doesn’t reply. The last functioning brain cell in his head that is not preoccupied with Gabriel thinks that he might have lost the ability to form coherent words right now. He bites his lip again and huffs in reply, his breathing hitches when Gabriel bends down and licks a perfect stripe along his cock.

“Yeah…,” Jack mutters, his hips wreathing, bucking upwards on their own accord.

“Hmm,” Gabriel huffs, wrapping his fingers around him and working him faster, eyes never leaving him. “You’re too easy.”

“Find a better use for that tongue of-- _ahhh_ ”

Gabriel cuts him off mid-sentence by taking him into his mouth. Just a tip at first, his lips enclose around the head so perfectly as he’s savoring the taste, lapping at it.

“Fuuuck,” Jack throws his head back again, hitting it against the armrest of the sofa rather painfully. He doesn’t care. The feeling of Gabriel’s hot mouth around his stiff cock is amazing and when he tilts his head to watch Gabriel, he sees him sliding lower and lower onto his length while still stroking the base of it.

“You look so good down there,” he says before realizing he is actually saying it aloud.

He can’t help it, reaches for Gabriel and cards his fingers through the waves of his hair, grown out so long now. Feels nice to take a hold of it, to pull a little and hear, and _feel,_ Gabriel’s hum of approval reverberating through his body.

Gabriel removes his hand now, takes him deeper still, all the way to the hilt and gagging just a little. Jack’s hips jerk up into the wet heat of his mouth. He barely manages to restrain himself from outright fucking right into it. Moves gently instead. Gabriel cups his balls, squeezes lightly and he closes his eyes – about to delve right into that perfect orgasm that’s been building deliciously inside of him - when he suddenly feels Gabriel pull off.

He looks down.

Gabriel’s cheeks are flushed, his lips half-parted, a perfect trail of saliva still connecting him to Jack’s cock. Jack reaches out to trace the line of his sharp cheekbone with his thumb.

“You okay?” he asks under his breath, concern winning over all the arousal.  “We can stop if you need to.”

“I’m okay,” Gabriel shakes his head, wipes his mouth and his beard with the back of his hand impatiently before moving up Jack’s body a little. His half-lidded eyes trace the lines and perfect angles of Jack’s well-built form, savoring him, before they lock on Jack’s blues, so dreamy and deep.

“I think I’m gonna need more from you tonight,” he utters with a crooked half-smile.

“More?” Jack asks, cupping Gabriel’s face with both his hands now, playing mindlessly with his dark smoky hair. A part of his brain still doubts that all this is real.

“Yeah. More. I want you to _fuck me_.”

Jack props himself up on his elbows, then sits up, shifting closer to Gabriel, his hands reaching out mindlessly to fumble with numerous belts on Gabriel’s armor.

“Will you say that again?” he asks.

Gabriel smirks, leans closer and whispers in a dark and velvety voice

_“I want you to fuck me.”_

Jack shivers under him.

“Goddammit, Gabe,” he says, his cock already throbbing to be inside Gabriel. He’s so aroused he can barely hold himself together. “Are you really asking me this?”

“Yeah, I do. Fuck me so hard that I remember you later - each time I move. Fuck me so that later I get a hard-on just thinking about it.”

Gabriel is so close, their noses are touching, the way he smiles is mind-wrecking. Jack’s fumbling intensifies but he has no idea how to deal with all the layers of Gabriel’s clothes.

“You better start taking all those fucking things off then,” he says heatedly.

A smooth distinct ‘ _clink’_   follows and Gabriel’s belt drops heavily onto the floor.

Then he undoes the bandoliers over his chest and opens his cloak.

“Help me with this one will you?” he asks.

Jack experiences a flashback about what a pain it used to be to undress each other in the past – all those layers and layers of armor, tired stiff muscles and freshly bandaged wounds.

But _this._

This is a whole level of _new_ to him.

Gabriel groans in what appears to be pain as Jack helps him take the cloak off – to _peel_ is off. It’s immensely heavy with all the metal plates implanted in it.

“You sure you’re okay with it?” he asks again once the damn thing is finally off. “Shouldn’t those keep you a bit…grounded?”

Gabriel closes his eyes and lets out a sigh of relief. He rolls his broad shoulders and stretches his neck before removing the leather straps around his arms.

“Nah,” he says simply. “I trust _you_ on this.”

Jack’s heart flutters and hurts at the same time. He helps Gabriel with his boots too and it takes good fifteen minutes to get him completely naked. Once he is, he clings to Jack like a drowning man. Like Jack is his only anchor. Like Jack is the stone and he, Gabriel, is the river running fast and out of control.

Jack lowers him down onto the sofa, pressing his weight securely against him. Gabriel feels so good beneath him, so familiar and right. This feels like coming home all over again. And Gabriel’s form, although smoky, blurry at the edges now each time he touches his skin – still feels solid, real.

It hits Jack so hard – the realization that one day he might lose his one and only – for good. That one day Gabriel might just disappear, turn into a cloud of smoke and never turn back again. The truth cuts him too deep.

“Can we ever stop, Gabe?” he whispers into Gabriel’s ear. He knows the answer already but still he hopes against it all that the answer Gabriel provides will bring some comfort to his weary heart. To both of them.

“We can’t. What’s done is done,” Gabriel replies. “Now, please. Show me how you still love me before I changed my mind.”

“Gabe. You’re gonna be my best Christmas present yet this year,” Jack says, reaching down between their bodies to take Gabriel in his hand and discovering to his greatest pleasure that Gabriel is just as achingly hard for him. “I miss this so much.”

 He takes them both in hand and gives them several thorough strokes. Then Gabriel’s hand joins his own and Gabriel’s lips find his.

“I miss this too.”

“How do you want me?” Jack asks breathlessly in between the kisses.

“Doesn’t matter to me, really”

“Then will you get on your knees for me, baby”

Gabriel does. Turns over slowly and gets to his knees, placing his hands on the armrest. His skin looks olive and bronze in the gleam of the fire, both warm and cold under the Christmas tree lights. Jack kisses his shoulders, brushes his hair aside and plants a lasting kiss onto Gabriel’s nape, in the spot he knows Gabriel has always loved to be kissed in so much. Jack still cherishes the way Gabriel half-turns his head a little to steal a glance at him as he’s being fondled and explored, loves the way flames ignite in his eyes.

Oh, he will make sure to engrave this night in his memory - forever.

He presses a hot reassuring kiss to Gabriel’s temple, making him smile softly and turn his face to Jack until they kiss again, taking their time, unable to break apart.  

Jack’s hands explore Gabriel’s body, fingers tracing each curve, each muscle, learning anew the map of it which he used to know by heart. He then follows his hands with his lips, planting simmering kisses to Gabriel’s skin, showering him in them until he reaches the last boundary just where Gabriel’s back ends and the curve of his ass starts. Gabriel is so soft and pliant by then, sensitive to every touch, breathing heavily and moaning with desire. He arches his back instantly when Jack’s lips mark him in that sensitive spot, presents himself to him. Jack sighs against his skin; his breath hot and when Gabriel steals a look at him over his shoulder those stormy blue eyes are watching him fixedly.

“Damn. I want to fuck you so hard you won’t be able to walk in the morning,” Jack says, licking Gabriel’s skin.

“Do it”

Reluctantly, Jack leans away from Gabriel’s body, hands still roaming over his skin.

“I’m gonna go get some lube. You wait here.”

“You know where he keeps it?” Gabriel wonders, raising an eyebrow at Jack who has already gotten up to his feet.

“Found his first aid kit when I got here. That’s where he keeps it.”

“You were wounded?”

Jack is flattered by a thread of concern in Gabriel’s voice.

“Doesn’t matter now,” he says, walking past Gabriel and touching the tips of his fingers to his chin. “You stay here just like you are. Don’t move. _Gabe_. You look so good like this.”

Gabriel does, eyes glued hungrily to Jack’s form – still perfectly fit and taut. Then he catches a glimpse of himself in the mirror on the wall opposite the sofa – his ass up in the air and his back arched sinuously. He had no idea he would end up like _this_ when he was heading to the place of their secret meeting. They’ve never gone this far before in all the years after Overwatch ended. He bites his upper arm, already feeling empty and abandoned without Jack pressing against him. _That’s_ how he’s going to feel tomorrow, and the day after that. He knows for sure. By now, he knows how these things tend to go. And they will have to “meet” again somehow.

But for now all he wants – is to be fucked. To know that this was real, to know that Jack and him – together – for once was something real again.

Jack walks back to find Gabriel in exactly the same position he left him in – waiting patiently for him. It brings a cute little smile to his face.

“What took you so damn long?” Gabriel inquires but there’s no real scorn in his voice. “Thought I’d fall asleep right here.”

“Oh yeah?” Jack chuckles, waving a bottle of lube happily. “You don’t look like you’re gonna fall asleep any time soon to me.”

Gabriel huffs. In that Jack is right – he hasn’t been this hard in ages.

The sofa squeaks softly and sags under Jack’s weight when he gets back to his position behind Gabriel, his presence so soothing and warm. He doesn’t waste any more time – a bottle pops open and Gabriel tilts his head to see him smearing the lube generously over his fingers.

“Imagine how surprised the man’s gonna be when he finds that bottle empty,” Gabriel observes with a smile.

Jack shrugs his shoulders.

“I suppose he’s gonna have to make do without it. Ain’t no way I’m leaving any for him after tonight”

 “Got big plans?”

“Something like that. And now I’m gonna show you just how big they are.”

“As if I didn’t remember your ‘plans’ in detail.”

“Alright. Then I’m gonna _remind_ you.”

 “I… _ahh_ ”

Gabriel’s banter is effectively cut off by two fingers slipping inside of him. Just the tips at first, but it makes him gasp nevertheless. A gasp that turns into a grunt of rough pleasure.

“Fuck,” he utters. “I forgot how good your fingers feel”

“See? That’s what I’m talking about,” Jack says as he starts working him, slowly at first, giving him chance to adjust, sliding deeper inch by inch. “Now relax for me, will you?”

By the time he pushes his fingers in as deep as he can Gabriel is a moaning mess and Jack adores the sounds he is making for him. He spreads his fingers inside of his tightness, making Gabriel spread his legs further and outright cry in pleasure. He moves them in and out, in and out – faster, faster, searching for that special spot inside his lover. And when Gabriel clenches around him desperately and shift back, impaling himself further – he knows he’s found it.

It’s just like it used to be. He still knows Gabriel’s every move, still knows his every weakness. Just like Gabriel knows his.

“I think you’re ready for me, baby,” Jack suggest, his fingers working so fast his hand is starting to get numb.

“You’re getting me too close already,” Gabriel whines, his cheeks flushed perfectly, his neck and the curve of his spine – faultlessly tense and rigid, his cock heavy and ready between his strong legs. Jack’s own is rubbing against thick muscle of Gabriel’s thigh hungrily.

“I just can’t stop when you’re like this.”

“Come on, I want it. I need your cock in me.”

The words shoot through Jack like a bullet, his hardness twitching eagerly in anticipation. He pulls his fingers out and grabs Gabriel’s ass, aligning himself with his entrance. Admiring how open he is for him.

“I hope this still belongs to me alone,” he says quietly, palm sliding over the curve of Gabriel’s back before returning to the cleft of his ass.

For a fraction of a moment the look Gabriel grants him is that of disbelief. Then it changes, grows heartfelt and beautifully lustful.

“It does”

He blinks, steals another side-glance at Jack who seems to be utterly spellbound by those two words for a second.

“Good,” Jack says at last and then Gabriel is shoved forward when Jack pushes inside of him. 

He groans, sucks in a sharp breath and Jack echoes him.

“You’re so goddamn big,” Gabriel mutters through clenched teeth.

“And you’re so goddamn tight,” Jack responds, thrusting his hips and pushing a bit deeper in. He takes a firmer hold of Gabriel’s ass, restraining himself. “I better go slow for now.”

His voice trembles. It’s almost too much, almost too good not to come at once. And he has forgotten how much he needed this. The feeling of Gabriel, so tight and hot around him.

He pushes further and Gabriel moans, his shoulders go tense as he grips the armrest with all his strength.

Jack reaches out and takes a gentle hold of his hair, puling at it and pushing _in._ In - until he’s sheathed inside fully. Gabriel’s breathing is beautifully ragged by then, droplets of sweat stand out on his skin, his neck and shoulders flushed and it’s the finest picture Jack has ever laid his eyes upon.

“I’m only a man, Gabe,” he says breathlessly, without thinking. “Don’t be so perfect.”

Gabriel glimpses back at him, narrows his eyes, smirks and starts moving suddenly - his back arched, his thighs tense – on Jack’s cock. This elicits sparks of pleasure in Jack- waves and waves of them, so powerful he almost sees stars. He squeezes Gabriel’s hips, steadying him, leaving angry red marks on his skin, and starts fucking him a bit rougher, a bit faster.

“Yeassss,” Gabriel responds, gripping the armrest mercilessly. “Just like that, Jackie”

The quiet of the room is now disturbed by their heavy breathing, by their moans and grunts of pleasure and the sound of skin slapping against skin. Jack loses himself in those sounds, in Gabriel and in the way he makes him feel. It’s hot, this feeling, so hot as if the fire now envelops them, as if _they_ are the source of the heat in the abandoned house and not the old furnace.

Jack knows he won’t last long in that perfect heat. His hips stutter and he loses control entirely – pounding Gabriel with all he has to offer, sliding all the way out and slamming back in, making him bend until he rests his cheek on that armrest he’s still gripping. Jack is basking in dirty encouragements Gabriel keeps whispering to him.

_“Yes, yes, Jackie._

_Give it to me._

_I love that cock so much._

_Fill me up._

_Go harder – harderrr”_

Until he is chanting it like a mantra, like a pray, driving Jack insane with want.

“You want this, huh?” he breathes out.

“Yeah”

“You want me to give it to you?”

“Fuck yeah I do— _fuck-fuck_ ”

Jack goes faster still, leaning down, biting Gabriel’s shoulder until he breaks his skin, pushing deeper, deeper inside, wanting to become one with the man he loves more than anything in the world. The man who means world to him.

“So hot, Gabe, so…I’m. Gonna. Come…”

The _slap-slap_ of their bodies is just too much and when Gabriel suddenly tightens around him violently he loses it – coming hard deep inside with one last perfect thrust.

“Gabe, Gabe,” he whispers, licking the mark from his teeth on Gabriel’s shoulder. He gives him all, spilling his love into him to the sounds of his own name being called gently. He buries his face in the crook of Gabriel’s neck and hears a response,

“I’m here, Jackie, I’m here. You make me feel _so_ alive”

They are moving gently against each other for a while more, sharing feathery kisses and the tenderness of the afterglow as they descend from their high, until Gabriel asks,

“Can I roll over now?”

“Of course,” Jack says and it takes time to untangle from each other – their limbs feel numb, shaky and stiff. In the morning both of them are going to be sore. But it doesn’t matter.

Once Gabriel is on his back he grants Jack a blissful smile and Jack’s eyes are caught by the white stripe of his own release now smeared over his stomach, and few droplets – right over his pecs.

“I don’t remember you touching yourself,” he observes with a crooked smile.

“I wasn’t,” Gabriel says. And Jack can’t help it. He leans down and licks some of it, savoring the taste of Gabriel on his tongue.

“You’re a dirty, dirty old man,” Gabriel says with a throaty chuckle.

“Look who’s talking,” he retorts.

Strong arms encircle him and pull him down until he’s pressed flush against Gabriel’s chest, kissed by him all over. _Loved._

“You know I don’t like making exceptions. But you’re one of them,” Gabriel says, taking a hold of Jack’s hand now resting on his chest, interlacing their fingers still prickled with that blissful numbness. Jack’s thumb is caressing Gabriel’s palm and Gabriel’s other hand is massaging his nape in perfect soothing motions. Gabriel’s lips keep returning to his forehead, his cheeks, his nose. And to the sound of fire cracking he would tilt his head once in a while to steal tender kisses that taste like miracle and honey. Taste so right.

“Thank you,” he whispers. “For making that exception.”

Gabriel hums in response and Jack does his best not to fall asleep as his eyelids grow heavier. He’s afraid to wake up all alone again, afraid to realize that, maybe – this wasn’t real after all. That he had too much whiskey and got a little bit too lost in his own fucked-up world. This just can’t be real. Gabriel. Back in his arms. Loving him so tenderly. Surely, this must have been a dream. A perfect dream that he would happily consider a Christmas present. Something to warm the old soldier’s heart. Something to remind him that it still can sing inside the cage of his weary crooked bones.

But when he wakes up in the middle of the night – when he discovers that the fire died out and the logs are nothing but ash. When he clutches his head in desperate attempt to revoke the dream and cling to it – Gabriel is _still_ there.

“Hey, Jackie, you awake? I was upstairs. Thought we might get cold without fire going,” he says, throwing a blanket over Jack’s shoulders. And in the following moment, he’s settling back next to Jack on the sofa – warm and solid.

“We won’t,” Jack says with a sigh of deepest relief. “Not with you by my side.”

Jack doesn’t celebrate Christmas.

But this year – he makes an exception.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!


End file.
